Splitting up
France (Paris) — The Calm Before the Storm
The Good
Traveling from Barcelona to Paris was one of the easiest travel days of the entire trip.
We boarded the high-speed train, settled into our seats, and enjoyed the journey north. Border officials checked our passports, but Darcy’s paperwork was never requested. She quietly slept through most of the ride, completely unfazed by yet another country.
By this point in the trip, international travel together had become second nature.
Paris slowed us down in the best possible way.
We spent our days exploring the city’s museums, neighborhoods, gardens, and iconic landmarks at a comfortable pace. With my parents still traveling with us, we relied primarily on taxis to move between locations, making it easier for everyone to enjoy the city without long walks between attractions.
One of the highlights was visiting the Louvre Museum.
At the entrance, staff simply reviewed Darcy’s service dog documentation and welcomed us inside.
One moment I’ll never forget happened when we reached the Mona Lisa.
Museum staff noticed my parents and Darcy and, without us asking, opened the barrier separating visitors from the painting so we could move much closer than the general crowd.
It was an incredibly thoughtful gesture that allowed us to enjoy one of the world’s most famous works of art without feeling rushed or crowded.
Looking back at the photo now, I laugh because my mom was holding Darcy so tightly you’d think someone was about to steal her. Meanwhile, Darcy seemed completely focused on the painting, ears perked up as if she were taking in the moment herself.
Another unforgettable experience was visiting the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Standing above Paris as the city stretched out in every direction was incredible, but my favorite memory wasn’t actually the view.
It was looking down and seeing Darcy completely asleep in my arms, as if standing hundreds of feet above one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks was just another ordinary day.
Those are the moments I’ll remember most.
Not simply checking famous landmarks off a list, but sharing those experiences with her.
Throughout the city, Darcy was welcomed with remarkable consistency.
Museums, restaurants, cafés, and public spaces treated her exactly as what she is—a working service dog.
It made exploring Paris feel remarkably easy.
The Friction
The only recurring challenge involved transportation.
Because there were five of us traveling together, we frequently needed larger vehicles.
That meant we couldn’t simply request Uber Pet.
Occasionally, after sending a message explaining that we were traveling with a trained service dog, drivers would cancel the ride.
The same happened with a handful of street taxis.
It wasn’t constant, and it certainly didn’t define our experience in Paris, but it was one of the few inconveniences we encountered during our stay.
Whenever that happened, we simply requested another vehicle and continued enjoying the city.
The Ugly
There really wasn’t one.
Paris was welcoming, accessible, and remarkably easy to experience with a service dog.
After everything we had gone through over the previous months, it truly felt as though the journey was ending exactly the way we had hoped.
Takeaway
Paris became the final chapter of what had been an unforgettable journey across Europe.
Months of planning.
Flights.
Trains.
Ferries.
Rental cars.
Border crossings.
Veterinary appointments.
Paperwork.
Through it all, Darcy quietly accompanied me every step of the way.
Looking back through my photos, I realized something.
Some of my favorite pictures from Paris aren’t of the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre.
They’re of Darcy.
Curiously looking toward the Mona Lisa while safely tucked in my mom’s arms.
Peacefully asleep against me at the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Calmly walking through museums, churches, and quiet Parisian gardens.
Those photographs remind me that this journey was never just about the places we visited.
It was about sharing them together.
As we packed our bags for the United Kingdom, I felt completely prepared.
Every document had been organized months in advance.
Every requirement had been carefully researched.
Every approval had already been obtained.
We packed our bags expecting the easiest travel day of the entire trip.
One train.
One border.
Nothing more.
We had absolutely no reason to believe the journey was about to change.
Months Before the Journey
By the time I reached Paris, I had already traveled through ten countries with Darcy.
Every flight, ferry, train, border crossing, veterinary appointment, and document had been carefully planned months in advance.
Traveling to the United Kingdom required more preparation than any other part of the trip.
I purchased my Eurostar tickets on March 31 and immediately contacted Eurostar regarding Darcy’s travel as my service dog.
Over the following months, I continued following up to make sure everything was in order.
On June 7, June 8, and June 9, I emailed again.
On the evening of June 9, I finally received Darcy’s one-year assistance dog approval letter.
The approval instructed me to call Eurostar so they could issue her travel reservation.
Because my European eSIM could not place the international call, my mother called from her phone while I participated in the conversation over speakerphone.
We spoke directly with Eurostar together.
The representative confirmed everything was complete and told us nothing else was needed.
After months of preparation, I believed the final piece of the puzzle was in place.
The Easiest Travel Day… Or So I Thought
Traveling from Paris to London was supposed to be the simplest part of the entire six-month journey.
One train.
One border.
Just over two hours.
We arrived at Gare du Nord around 12:30 p.m., comfortably before the recommended arrival time.
Everything felt routine.
Until it wasn’t.
When staff reviewed Darcy’s documents, they told me she could not board.
She had been approved.
But she didn’t have a reservation.
I showed them the approval letter.
I explained that I had called exactly as instructed.
There was nothing they could do.
They simply told me to contact customer service because station staff had no way to correct the problem.
So I called.
After waiting on hold for eighteen minutes, I finally reached someone.
The representative told me there was no record that the reservation had ever been created.
She could issue a new one.
But not until the following day.
The next available train wasn’t until Thursday.
No apology.
No solution.
Just a new reservation for a train I couldn’t take.
Then I looked at the time.
Darcy’s tapeworm treatment—the one required for entering the United Kingdom—would expire at 7:30 p.m.
Waiting several days wasn’t an inconvenience.
It meant starting over.
Splitting Up
My parents still needed to catch their flight back to Miami.
My children wanted to stay with me.
I wouldn’t let them.
Keeping everyone together would have multiplied the hotel costs, transportation expenses, and uncertainty.
Financially, it simply didn’t make sense.
It was one of the hardest decisions of the trip.
They waited until only a few minutes remained before boarding.
I was still on the phone with Eurostar customer service when they finally had to leave.
There wasn’t much of a goodbye.
There wasn’t time.
Suddenly, it was just Darcy and me again.
One backpack.
One carry-on.
Her food.
Some clothes.
A folder full of paperwork.
And a rapidly closing deadline.
Racing the Clock
The nearest veterinary clinic was only about a seven-minute walk away.
I grabbed my luggage, picked up Darcy, and started walking.
The veterinarian immediately understood what I needed.
He already knew the United Kingdom’s tapeworm requirements and mentioned that situations like this happened fairly often when travelers experienced cancellations or unexpected delays.
About an hour later—and €68 poorer—Darcy had received another tapeworm treatment and her passport had been updated.
While waiting at the clinic, I started working through every backup plan I could think of.
I called KLM.
I called Air France.
Both airlines told me not to come to the airport because everything had to be submitted by email first, with approval taking between 48 and 72 hours.
Flying wasn’t going to work.
I contacted Daytrip, the private transportation company I had used earlier in the trip.
No immediate solution.
Next, I walked about ten minutes to a FlixBus office.
The staff genuinely tried to help but weren’t sure whether I could travel with a service dog into the United Kingdom.
They directed me to another office nearly forty-five minutes away by car.
So I opened Uber.
A Joke That Became a Mission
The driver who accepted my ride was named Abdelkrim.
Originally from Albania, he now lived in France with his wife and their three young children.
His English wasn’t perfect, but his kindness came through clearly.
As we talked about my situation, I jokingly asked,
“Can you just take me to the UK?”
He didn’t laugh.
He simply looked at me and said yes.
From that moment on, getting me to England became his mission.
He explained that, in his faith, when something doesn’t happen the way we planned, it’s because God has another plan.
He believed helping me that day was part of that plan.
Without hesitation, he logged off work.
Instead of driving me across town, he began driving me across France.
